Liam Delap has lost the number nine shirt at Chelsea, 14 months after his £30 million transfer from Ipswich Town.

The 23-year-old is one of several players now training separately to the main squad ahead of the Blues’ 2026-27 Premier League opening fixture against neighbours Fulham on Monday.

According to BBC Sport, Chelsea are seeking £50 million for Delap, who only managed to score one goal in 28 Premier League appearances during his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge. The former England Under-21 international netted two goals in 41 matches across all competitions.

Delap’s underwhelming season appears to have cost him not only his shirt number but his Chelsea career, as new head coach Xabi Alonso revamps the squad.

Forward Nicolas Jackson and winger Mykhailo Mudryk are also in the same training group as Delap at Cobham, although club sources insist it’s different from the “bomb squad” approach taken last season when the likes of Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi were frozen out.

Joao Pedro Handed No. 9, Delap Also Gets New Number

REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Chelsea have confirmed that the club’s number nine shirt has been handed to Brazil international Joao Pedro, who scored 20 goals in 50 games for the Blues last term.

Delap, meanwhile, has been forced to settle for the number 12 jersey, previously worn by back-up goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, who has moved to French side Strasbourg on loan.

The number 12 shirt has been worn by 10 Chelsea players during the Premier League era. The most notable former No. 12 is John Obi Mikel, who won two Premier League titles in 2010 and 2015. Defender Michael Duberry also wore 12 during the mid-to-late-1990s.

Chelsea Announce Further 2026-27 Squad Number Changes

Chelsea’s Danny Welbeck via REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

In a statement, Chelsea confirmed the following squad number changes for the new season: “Striker Joao Pedro has switched to the No.9 shirt, having been named the club’s Player of the Year last season.

“Wesley Fofana has also changed number, with the Frenchman now set to wear the No.3 shirt for the upcoming campaign.

“Summer signing Morgan Rogers was announced as the Blues’ new No.17 following his arrival back in July.

“Marco Palestra, Valentin Barco and Maxence Lacroix have been handed two, four and five shirts respectively.

“Jordan Henderson is to take the No.14 shirt, Danny Welbeck will wear No.18, Emmanuel Emegha the No.22, Geovany Quenda the No.23 and Pep Chavarria the No.29.”

Cole Palmer will continue to wear the No. 10 shirt at Stamford Bridge, while Robert Sanchez continues as Chelsea’s No. 1 goalkeeper.

Joao Cancelo cut a frustrated figure as he marched back to the dressing room while waiting to be presented to the Camp Nou crowd on Wednesday.

Every member of Barcelona’s squad was introduced individually ahead of the annual Joan Gamper Trophy fixture. The Catalan giants secured a 2-1 win over Egyptian side Al-Ahly in the pre-season fixture, with 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim scoring the opening goal against his former club in the 30th minute.

Raphinha doubled Barcelona’s advantage from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time. Zizo pulled a goal back for the visitors early in the second half, while Anthony Gordon spurned the chance to make it 3-1 before full-time after Barca were awarded a second spot-kick.

New Barcelona signing Rodri received the biggest ovation from the crowd prior to kick-off. The World Cup winner, who was named best player of the 2026 World Cup after guiding Spain to victory over Argentina in North America, signed a four-year contract with the La Liga outfit earlier this week after completing a £65 million move from Manchester City.

Another player who was poised to be unveiled to the crowd was Joao Cancelo, who was seen wearing the No. 2 shirt in the tunnel.

However, the Portugal international was filmed storming back to the dressing room as his puzzled teammates asked what had happened. Watch the footage below:

Why Frustrated Cancelo Wasn’t Unveiled Alongside Rodri

REUTERS/Pablo Moran

Per GOAL, Spanish journalist Victor Navarro said Barcelona intended to unveil Cancelo but were unable to because the full-back’s registration remained incomplete.

Press reports confirmed Al-Hilal had agreed with Cancelo to terminate his contract, which was due to expire at the end of the season, in exchange for waiving the rest of his dues.

However, the deal with Barcelona has not yet been finalised, meaning Cancelo officially remains an Al-Hilal player at the time of writing.

Cancelo, the former Manchester City defender, spent the second half of last season on loan at Barcelona, playing 23 times and winning the 2025-26 league title in the process.

The 32-year-old is poised to become Barcelona’s new No. 2 but must wait for his unveiling after being denied the opportunity at the last minute on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Barcelona supporters have been labelled ‘shameful’ for booing midfielder Frenkie de Jong during the pre-season fixture.

It’s currently unclear whether the Netherlands international will stay at Camp Nou following Rodri’s arrival. The 29-year-old signed a four-year contract extension with the Catalan club in October.

One of Gianni Infantino’s vice presidents at FIFA has turned against him, as an explosive letter sent to football’s vilified leader was leaked this week. The Swiss millionaire has felt intense heat in office ever since his idea to sell stakes in the World Cup he unveiled last month backfired on him.

Infantino, FIFA’s president since 2016 after he gazumped Sepp Blatter to power, is under significant pressure following his failed Football Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme – which would have seen stakes in the World Cup sold to private investors, resulting in a major cash windfall for the beautiful game’s shot-callers.

His biggest opponents throughout the saga have been UEFA and CONMEBOL, European and South American football’s governing bodies. Aleksander Ceferin’s series of statements – which have read more like written attacks – has prompted England and several other nations to withdraw their support for the 56-year-old, while it appears increasingly likely that Infantino will lose power at March’s election.

That was once seen as unthinkable. He previously had no serious challengers for the role and enjoyed the written backing of 200 nations following the hugely profitable 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Now, though, even his own council members are turning on him after his decision to sack Kevin Lamour following his criticism of Infantino’s leadership.

FIFA Vice Presidents Turns Against Infantino in Explosive Leaked Letter

REUTERS/Carl Recine

According to the Guardian, Infantino has lost the support of another high-ranking FIFA official, with the Hungarian football federation chief, Sandor Csanyi, criticising the president’s “professional judgment, ethical standards and leadership”.

In an explosive letter sent to Infantino on Tuesday, which was first obtained by the news agency Agence France-Presse, Csanyi states that he has “lost the confidence I previously placed in you” and describes the “unexpected dismissal” of Fifa’s chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, as the “final straw”.

Lamour was sacked by FIFA on Monday after breaking ranks last month by criticising Infantino over his aborted plan to sell off shares in the World Cup to private investors. Csanyi’s letter continues the trend of senior global football figures deserting Infantino, with the Hungarian banker the fifth of Fifa’s eight vice-presidents to call for him to stand down.

“My conviction that you are capable of continuing to lead Fifa successfully and effectively in accordance with the shared values that previously formed the basis of our cooperation has been undermined,” Csanyi also wrote. “The final straw was the unexpected dismissal of Kevin Lamour.”

The letter also cited “a number of controversial decisions” at this year’s World Cup, including Infantino’s involvement in “plans to outsource FIFA competitions and place them in the hands of external parties”.

Infantino’s Support Network Is Toppling Around Him Like Dominoes

REUTERS/Lee Smith

The UEFA president, Aleksander Ceferin, Victor Montagliani of CONCACAF – the North and Central American and Caribbean Confederation – and Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa of the Asian Football Confederation have all made their positions clear, as has the Football Association chair, Debbie Hewitt.

Of the Fifa vice-presidents, only Alejandro Domínguez of South America’s Conmebol, Patrick Motsepe of the Confederation of African Football and Oceania’s Lambert Maltock are supporting Infantino. Csanyi is also a member of the 37-strong FIFA council, which is its main decision-making body, but has been repeatedly overlooked by Infantino, making any breakaway decision all the more easy.